The Wicked End
by ImperialxViciousness
Summary: The Land of Oz is just as corrupt as is leader. Post-DefyGravity        'She feels nauseous, from the smell of blood, the lack of oxygen, and the knowledge that she had just been branded.'
1. Wrong

**a/n: Oh my Oz! A story that doesn't being/have to do with Elphaba! I feel successful…I haven't given Glinda enough love. And frankly, I'm sick of her always being the DID (damsel in distress, just in case you didn't know). It's always Elphie saving Glinda. What about Glinda saving Elphie. Change the roles, Kiddies. Anyway, sorry for not updating any of my stories…I've been horribly busy with vacation and getting ready for school….BUT! I have been writing still (not that my stories are ever read…woe is me…just kidding…but still…). **

Chapter one: Wrong

She watches as they bind her. She watches as she struggles. She watches as she's dragged away. She watches but does nothing. She can't. It isn't because she doesn't want to, it's because she's being held back herself.

She watches as her struggles cease. She watches as she gives up.

Glinda hangs her head, letting it drop limply forward, putting more strain on her shoulders. Her blonde curls, now damp with sweat, fall into her eyes and she simply closes them. It doesn't matter anymore. It never did. She hears Morrible's harsh voice break the silence, like a serrated blade slicing through already tortured flesh.

"It was for the better…she was just another pitiful obstacle in our plans."

Glinda's anger flares at this and she jerks her head up, her blue eyes ignited with renewed fury.

"She had dreams…ambitions…expectations…happiness. Yet you took that all away in just one night," she looks at the Wizard, glaring at his frail form. "And she believed in you…you were her idol, her hope for a normal future. She came to you for help and you struck her down. You're not wonderful; you're a filthy, lying—"

Glinda's sentence is interrupted by a sharp smack to the face. She tears free from the guards grasp and lands roughly on the emerald tile. The pain in her cheek extends from her jaw to her brow line. She lies there for a moment, resting her head against the cool tile, half wanting to give up. But she knows that's not what Elphaba would want.

The same hand that struck her grabs her hair, pulling her from the ground. She winces at the pain and at the sharp scent of alcohol on Morrible's breath.

"Miss Elphaba had nothing to begin with…she's was born with misery and she dies with misery. Her dreams were crushed long ago." Morrible said, hissing through her teeth and staring into Glinda's eyes with her own, icy blue ones.

The former Shiztress dumps Glinda onto the ground and walks away from her, striding over to a nearby guard. Glinda can see her whisper something into the guards' ear but she doesn't know what. The guard grins impishly, staring at Glinda with an unreadable glint in his eyes. Morrible pulls back from the guard as he marches forward, a small dagger in his right hand. Another guard pushes down on Glinda's back, making escape impossible. The sheer weight of his hand against her back drains her of oxygen and she feels lightheaded. The guard with the dagger kneels over her back, and pulls back her hair. He presses the tip of the blade lightly into her skin and the first bead of blood forms.

Glinda feels the deadly point pierce her skin completely. She grits her teeth to keep from screaming.

The dagger traces a 'C' into her neck. It traces an 'O'. It traces an 'E'. _City of Emeralds_.

Glinda can feel the blood trickle down her back and around her neck. She feels nauseous, from the smell of blood, the lack of oxygen, and the knowledge that she had just been branded.

The weight of both guards disappears but Glinda doesn't dare to turn over, for fear she'll die of blood loss.

"Throw her in the dungeon…far from her friend." Morrible commands with a bored expression on her face.

Glinda's lifted from the ground and more blood trickles down her back.

She's dragged into darkness and her exhaustion is taking over her senses. She wills herself to remain awake as she's dragged through damp and musty corridors. She's thrown roughly into a cell and hears the door click behind her. She's trapped and she wonders if this is what the lion cub felt like.

Exhaustion takes over Glinda's senses and she fades into black. Her cheek still burns and her neck's still bleeding but it doesn't matter.

A harsh kick to the ribs brings Glinda from her sleep.

"Get up! The Grand Vizier would like to speak with you. That is a command, not an option."

Rough hands pulled Glinda from the ground and dragged her through the hellish maze of the dungeon. It takes fifteen minutes, Glinda decides, to get to the main door that leads to the palace. The steel door opens and emerald light pours in. It burns her eyes. She's accustomed to darkness already.

They drag her to Morrible's study and dump her in a chair. Morrible's busy with paperwork but begins talking anyway.

"Miss Glinda…I am giving you a chance for freedom. I will allow you to return to Shiz, back to your social life, under one condition. You will not speak one word of what happened here. If you do, I will have my elite guards hunt you down and kill you akin to how a pack of wolves kill a Goat." Morrible said, now pacing, with her arms placed behind her back.

Glinda winces at the not-so-subtle insult towards Dr. Dillamond but holds her tongue. She's a free woman. Why ruin that now with some witty comment.

"Yes, Madame Morrible." Glinda says, lowering her head slightly as if surrendering.

Morrible smiles grimly at her, whispers 'good girl', and arranges for a carriage to whisk her away back to Shiz.

The day of her leave came too quickly. She is given a new dress similar to her old one and practically a whole script on what to say to her fellow socialites when she gets back. It all feels so wrong…to lie about the Wizard's corruption, about Morrible's horribleness, about Elphaba dropping out. The clock on the bedside table blares shrilly but to Glinda it screeches: _wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. _She furrows her brow and slams her hand onto the button. The shrieking stops. The guilt begins. _Lies, lies, lies. _

"Shut up…" Glinda says through gritted teeth. She presses her free hand to her head, lightly holding it. Her other hand remains on the brass clock. Moments tick by and she finishes packing her meager amount of clothes. A knock at the door signals that it's time to leave and she grabs the valise that was Elphaba's.

Glinda waits, as unfortunate as it is, with Madame Morrible and her pack of guards. The carriage is five minutes late and Glinda swears that she can see steam rising from Morrible's shoulders. Glinda breathes out a sigh of relief that she didn't even know she had been holding in. The driver takes her faded brown suitcase from her hands but Glinda protests, asking to keep it with her in the main cabin. Morrible steps forward, a vicious sneer on her pale face.

"We'll be seeing each other soon, Glinda. You'll be back because I have something you want." Morrible said with a sneer on her aging face. She turns to the driver and addresses Glinda's location. "To Shiz University."

The driver nods and whips lightly at his horses flank, sending them off into a three day long trip.

Glinda sits in silence, staring blankly out into the passing scenery. Losing Elphaba was like losing everything. Glinda shifts in her seat, still clutching Elphaba's faded brown valise to her chest. Glinda realizes how lonely she truly is without Elphaba by her side. True she had many friends, but none were ever as genuine as Elphaba. Milla came close but she was no replacement. A light rainfall has begun and succeeds to darken Glinda's moods even more. She presses her forehead against the cool glass of the window and closes her eyes. She attempts to will it all away. Her pain, her misfortune…she counts her losses and only one comes up. _Elphaba._

Like the rain, Glinda's tears fall just as freely. They say crying is supposed to help. But Glinda disagrees. She opens her eyes and stares into the emptiness of the cabin; she wishes that Elphaba were here, safe with her instead of dying in the Wizard's captivity.

But wishing does nothing except wound the heart.

She sighs and shifts to a more comfortable position, still pressing the valise to her chest. She waits for a moment before sitting upright again, dropping the suitcase next to her and clicking it open. She rummages around before pulling a translucent black scarf from the tangled mass of her clothing. She closes the case and sets it down on the floor. Leaning against the window, Glinda brings the black tangle of fabric to her face, inhaling the woodsy scent that was Elphaba. She buries her face in it and lets out a choked sob that stings the back of her throat. Another choked sob fills the carriage and a thousand tears follow. Glinda wishes she could have saved Elphie. She wishes that she was just as strong as Elphaba. She wishes that none of this ever happened. Glinda's thoughts blur together as night falls and within a matter of minutes she's fast asleep, the black scarf wrapped around her aching neck.

A knock on the door pulls Glinda from her restless sleep.

"Excuse me, ma'am. We have arrived at Shiz University." The driver says politely, opening the carriage door and offering a hand to Glinda.

Glinda is slightly baffled; three days passed already? The emotional turmoil must've taken its toll, Glinda thinks to herself as she grabs the scarf and valise and steps down from the carriage. She thanks the driver for his hard effort and tips him 12 Ozdollars. He nods in gratitude before seating himself at the front and driving off, leaving Glinda alone in the midst of an Autumnal wind.

She picks up Elphaba's valise and walks the long path that leads to Shiz's gates. She sees that they are wide open, almost as if awaiting her with open arms. A twister of leaves dance about the sky, falling like rain or snow…falling like a crumbling sunset; burnt reds, vibrant orange and yellow, russet brown, and the occasional dying green. Glinda steps into Crage Hall, into the meeting room where they all gathered as first years. She steps back out into the deserted hall and makes her way to her dorm room; room 221.

She dreads going back for she knows that despite all her hoping, it will be empty. She knows that there won't be a warm smile waiting for her. She knows that there won't be anybody waiting for her.

Glinda arrives at her door, fumbles for the key in her purse, and throws the door open. It slams loudly against the white wall but Glinda doesn't care. She dumps the suitcase on Elphaba's bed and sits at the desk. A silver framed photo stares at her and she stares back.

Glinda reaches for the frame and holds it in her shaking hands. Inside the frame was a photo of her and Elphaba during a snowball fight. Glinda looked at the right corner. Scrawled in her usual curly handwriting was: _Pink and Green go good together. _

Glinda placed the frame back to its original position and sat back in the chair. Her neck throbbed and she brought a hand up to finger the forming scars. She traced the rugged lines.

_A large 'C' with a small 'O' in it with an 'E' outside of the 'C'…made for a subtle symbol._

"City of Emeralds…" Glinda whispered to herself as she fingered the crude lettering.

A knock on the door causes Glinda to tear her hand from her neck.

"Yes, who is it?" Glinda asks, trying to keep her voice from shaking too much.

"It's Fiyero and the others…um, can we come in?" Fiyero says from the other side of the door.

"Oh, yeah…sure... The doors unlocked." Glinda says, grabbing Elphaba's black scarf and wrapping it loosely around her neck.

The door opens and the whole group of misfits piles into the dorm room.

"Hey, Glinda! How was the 'Oh so wonderful Emerald City'?" Crope asks, throwing an arm around Glinda's shoulders.

She winces as his forearm presses against her neck, but conceals pain with a false grin.

"It was, you know…green." Glinda says, masking her disgust for the place.

Thankfully, a knock at the doorframe signals new arrivals. It's Boq and Nessarose.

"Hello, Miss Glinda…how was your time in the Emerald City?" Nessarose asks, being polite as usual.

Glinda's eyes fill with sorrow for a mere second but even that doesn't go unnoticed by Nessarose.

"Glinda…where's Elphaba?" Nessarose asks, her dark green eyes filling with panic.

Glinda remains silent and merely shakes her head slowly, her eyes closed. She prays that she can block everyone out. That she can ignore the questions thrown at her.

"Glinda…please, tell me, where is my sister?" Nessarose asked, practically begged, her voice on the verge of hysterical.

"Nessa…" Glinda croaks out, her ability to speak lost, "I'm so sorry…sorry…"

Fiyero steps in and sits Glinda down on the bed, forcing her to look at him. "Glinda, you have to tell us what happened to Elphaba…please."

Glinda swallows the burning sensation at the back of her throat and tries to stomach the lies that she's been forced to tell.

"She…she dropped out of…Shiz." Glinda says, feeling lightheaded. She lurches forward a bit before clasping a hand to her head.

Everyone sits in silence; shocked and suspicious. Nessarose has tears streaming down her face, whether out of shame or shock at her sister's leave Glinda doesn't have the courage to ask.

"Why would Elphaba, of all people, do something like that? Even she's not that rash." Nessa says, silent tears still streaming down her pale cheeks.

"I don't know, Nessa. Maybe Elphaba just needed a break?" Boq says, trying to offer some positive energy to the situation. His attempts went unsuccessful and the whole room spirals into shock and sorrow.

"I miss Elphaba…" Nessa says shakily, her voice small and meek like a child's.

"I know you do, Nessie…we all miss her. Don't worry…we'll see her again. When the time's right." Fiyero says, placing a comforting hand on the younger Thropp's shoulder. Nessa gives the Winkie prince a small smile of gratitude, and even with her eyes still bloodshot and watery, she still manages to look cute.

"Thank you, Fiyero."

The group spends at least thirty more minutes with Glinda and consoling Nessa. Their numbers dwindle until it's just Fiyero left.

"Something else happened, Glinda. I know it." Fiyero says, crossing his arms as he sits on Elphaba's bed.

"Nothing else happened Fiyero…just forget it. Elphaba dropped out, that's all." Glinda replies, dismissing Fiyero's accurate statement with a wave of her hand.

"You wouldn't be wearing one of her scarves for nothing." Fiyero shoots back, giving Glinda a sly smirk.

"You're right…something did happen. Something bad…but you know what? It's not worth discussing right now. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out that there's something wrong with this whole story but right now I'm tired so if you would kindly leave?" Glinda says, a little too snippy because she can see Fiyero's eyebrow twitch in annoyance before he saunters out of the room.

She closes the door as Fiyero leaves and lets out a melancholy sigh. Turning the lock on the door, Glinda trudges over to Elphaba's bed and flops down on it, pulling a worn pillow close to her body and inhaling. It smells woodsy, with a dash of spice to it. _Almost Elphaba. _

Her neck aches, her heart aches. Glinda falls asleep aching, but comforted with Elphaba's pillow pulled close to her chest. She feels safe, almost. She feels as if tomorrow morning she'll awake in Elphaba's arms. But Glinda knows that impossible; wishful thinking, wounded heart.

It was just wrong.


	2. Discovered

**a/n: R&R's are so nice. Not only are they encouraging to the Writer but they also make the Writer happy. Please make me happy. Anywho, this is by far one of my better stories for Wicked. For some reason, it's easy to make Wicked fics sound overtly dramatic when they don't need to be. **

Chapter two: Discovered

Glinda wakes with her head buried in Elphaba's pillow still. She uncurls herself from the small ball she fell asleep in and stretches, hearing her back pop multiple times. She brings her hand to the back of her neck and feels the rugged lines. Her eyes sting with tears but she holds them back. What's done is done and crying won't help solve anything. Glinda dresses in the silence and stillness of the room and she wonders how Elphaba is. She wonders if she's still breathing.

Glinda shakes the next thought from her head as she wraps Elphaba's scarf around her neck. It stands out from the outfit she's wearing, her cream colored Shiz jacket and her white frilled skirt. She doesn't care that it clashes. She just cares that she feels comforted, protected, with it wrapped around her neck.

Glinda slips her shoes on and heads out the door, walking in silence to her first class, History. Usually this time was spent with Elphaba. The two of them joking and laughing. But Glinda walks in silence, in loneliness. The tears begin again and Glinda sinks down onto the floor, sobbing in the middle of the hallway.

She cries for forty-five minutes before she finally walks to class. She opens the door quietly and slips inside yet her entrance doesn't go unnoticed. She ignores the curious stares from her classmates and slides into the back seat. Her nose is tinged a slight pink and her eyes are still a little bloodshot.

"Miss Glinda, are you okay? Would it help if you talked about your troubles or would you like it if we left you to yourself?" Dr. Nikidik asks, his words are full of concern but his facial expression shows otherwise. He doesn't care, he just wants to get back to his lesson.

"Oh, no…Dr. Nikidik. I'll be fine if I'm left alone, thank you." Glinda says between small sniffles.

Dr. Nikidik nods before turning back to the chalk board. Glinda's thoughts wander to Elphaba and she tunes out her professor's mumblings. Why didn't she save Elphaba? Glinda wonders, as she taps her pen against her notebook, thinking but not writing.

Eighty minutes pass and Dr. Nikidik dismisses the class for lunch. Glinda gathers her bag, crams her notebook into it, and heads towards the door but is stopped by Nikidik.

"Miss Glinda, I noticed that, not only did you show up late, but you seem rather distracted…er, more so than usual. Care to talk about it?" Dr. Nikidik says with true worry, as he pulls a seat for Glinda near his desk.

Glinda sits and drops her bag on the floor. She places her hands in her lap and sighs before looking at Dr. Nikidik.

"I wish I could tell you, Dr. Nikidik…I wish I could…but I can't. I'm sorry." And with that, Glinda picks up her bag and rushes out of the classroom.

Glinda walks briskly to the dining hall, her bag on her shoulder and the straps held in a deathly grip. She opens the door to the hall and is bombarded with a multitude of questions from nearly the entire student body.

"Glinda, over here! Come on." A rough hand grabs Glinda's wrist and drags her away from the swarm of students.

Glinda stumbles slightly, her footing off-balance due to the rough nature of her savior.

"Fiyero…!" Glinda looks at the Prince with a small smile.

Fiyero walks Glinda to a table in the back room of the dining hall, where she sees that her other friends are already there.

"Fiyero wait, before we go, I need to say something to you…in private. Please?" Glinda looks up at the taller prince, a pleading look in her rich blue eyes.

"Of course, Glinda…anything." Fiyero says, smiling at the shorter Gillikin before extending an arm to her.

The two walk outside the dining hall and step into a hallway.

"Listen, Fiyero…about yesterday, I guess I was tired, stressed, and a little in pain." It isn't a lie, Glinda's neck aches like Hell and she's past exhaustion.

"I know…I understand. The loss of Elphaba's gotten to you…it's gotten to all of us."

Glinda's head jerks up slightly, her eyes widened in shock. Did Fiyero figure out what was wrong?

"W-what do you mean by 'the loss' of Elphaba?" Glinda asks, her heart pounding furiously against her ribcage.

Fiyero shrugs nonchalantly and mumbles, "Well, I'd assume that since she dropped out of school that it's kind of like a loss…I mean, she was so smart too…I just don't understand why she dropped out."

Glinda breaths a small, almost in audible sigh of relief before saying, "yeah, she was smart…wasn't she?"

Glinda's lower lip trembles and Fiyero's expression goes from nonchalant to melancholic.

"Hey now, don't cry…you'll ruin your makeup. Come on, Glins. Elphaba wouldn't want you to cry. You know she'd hate seeing you like this." Fiyero says, trying to offer some consolation before pulling Glinda into a hug.

Glinda nods and wraps her arms around his waist and buries her head into his chest, letting a choked sob emerge.

Fiyero drapes his arms around the shorter girls' shoulders but stops mid-hug. His fingers brush against something rough on her neck. He traces the scars lightly before pulling Glinda from his torso. His face takes on a serious look and he looks at Glinda with worry.

"Glinda…what happened to your neck?" Fiyero says, his finger still tracing the coarse skin.

Glinda tears Fiyero's hand from her neck and backs away from him.

"It's nothing Fiyero, really. I fell rather roughly…that's all." Glinda says, wrapping the black scarf around her neck tighter.

"Let me see it, then. If it's just a mere staircase wound, oh Miss Clumsy One." Fiyero shoots back, his arms crossed in a stern manner.

"Fiyero, I told you, it's nothing. Just…leave it alone, okay." Glinda says as she turns from the prince and begins to walk back to her other friends.

It's a strike against her because Fiyero grabs Glinda's shoulder and pulls her back. He removes the scarf and pushes back her hair. His eyes fall upon the crude letters.  
"Who did this to you…?" His voice is shaky with fear and anger. "Glinda, answer me. Who did this to you?" He's yelling now.

Glinda pulls away from Fiyero and turns to look at him, tears in her eyes. They aren't tears of anger; rather, they're tears of pain.

"Morrible," Glinda breathes out, her voice shaky, "Morrible did this." It's an almost inaudible statement but Fiyero hears it.

His face takes on a grim expression and he parts his lips to say something but nothing comes out.

"I'm telling the others." The Prince says as he begins walking away.

"Fiyero, you _can't_! It's not safe…I'm putting myself and everybody else in danger just because I'm here."

"They have a right to know, Glinda!" Fiyero yells as he turns to face the blonde. He's seething now and Glinda feels slightly intimidated.

Her voice is quiet as she says, "You're right. I need to tell them. But not here…it's too public. Meet me at the thirteenth hour in the auditorium. Bring the others."

"I will, Glinda. Don't worry, we'll work things out." Fiyero says as he walks back with Glinda.

Glinda retreats to her room for the rest of the day, planning on what to say to her friends. It's almost one o'clock AM and she's fidgeting something awful. She wonders how Madame Morrible will know if she tells. She grabs her coat and Elphaba's scarf and heads out of Crage Hall, walking briskly to the auditorium.

The auditorium is dark with only a few emergency lights shining in the dark. Glinda sits alone, slightly terrified of the big dark room. A knock at the door startles her and causes her to jump slightly. She stumbles up the aisle and unlocks the massive door. It's Fiyero, Boq, and Nessarose.

"Hey, Glinda…sorry we're late." Fiyero says breathlessly. He looks as if he half-way ran here.

"It's okay…you're here now." Glinda replies, ushering them in from the harsh cold.

"Glinda, why have you called us here?" Nessa asks as she wheels herself down the aisle, stopping at the stage.

Fiyero and Boq help her up first and sets her next to Glinda.

"I called you here under Fiyero's idea…there's something I have to tell you. I lied," Glinda begins, placing Elphaba's scarf in Nessa's lap, "I lied about Elphaba dropping out…I've lied about many things."

Boq and Nessa look solemn and stare at her with a betrayed uncertainty. Glinda notices this and shakes her head.

"It's nothing like that, Nessa…Elphaba didn't drop out. She was taken hostage."

Nessa and Boq let out small gasps of shock.

"Who captured her?" Nessa asks, her hands covering her mouth lightly.

"Whether you believe me or not is all that matters. The Wizard and Morrible captured her…took her hostage…maybe killed her, I don't know." Glinda says, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her chin on her arm.

Tears start flowing down Nessa's face and she leans into Boq. Her shoulders shake with the burden of her hearing about her sister's capture. Boq wraps an arm around her shoulders and rests his head on hers.

"What will you do? Go back and try to rescue her? Glinda, if what you say is true, that the Wizard is corrupt and Morrible's helping him, then the chances of Elphaba escaping or you rescuing her are very, very slim." Fiyero says grimly, his attitude is no longer that of the brainless boy from a year ago, it now holds a determination that only a fighter has.

"It's too dangerous for you to come. I'm going alone." Glinda replies stubbornly, glaring at Fiyero.

"No you're not. I'm going with you."

"Fiyero, don't be ridiculous. You're not coming. None of you are." Glinda says, addressing Boq and Nessa as well. They both have curious expressions on their faces.

"So then I suppose you have the right training in your history, Miss Upland? Unlike you, I was trained to be a hunter and a fighter during my time in the Vinkus." Fiyero says blankly, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde.

"That's a touché there, Glinda. Do what he says." Boq chimes in, trying to lighten the argument.

"So I guess it's decided…if Boq agrees then I guess he's helping too." Fiyero says, leaning back on his arms.

"But who's going to take care of Nessa?" Glinda wonders, looking at the younger Thropp.

"You think I'm going to not help rescue my sister? I'm going with you. I'm not an invalid you know. I can handle myself." Nessa says smartly, crossing her arms and putting on an air of fake offense.

"So a rescue group is settled then. What time do we leave? And how do we leave? I'm sure Morrible, as a precaution, stationed some of her guards around the perimeter of Shiz." Fiyero says, looking at the group with a sort of uncertainty in his brown eyes.

Dawn is already high above the treetops when Glinda awakens. She recalls every detail about last night. They have agreed to meet in the central quad at 7 o'clock and escape at 8 o'clock. They plan to leave at night. The question is: how? Glinda lies in bed for several moments, her eyes trained on the white ceiling. She sighs out loud to nobody but herself.

"How will we save you, Elphie? It seems almost impossible…please try to stay alive…please." Glinda prays for her friend's wellbeing before getting out of bed.

Her hair's a mess but she doesn't care. She simply pulls it back into a ponytail before dressing herself. She wraps the black scarf around her shoulders like a shawl and heads out the door. The last of autumn is fading fast and the crisp air of winter envelops Glinda in its grasp. She shudders and wraps Elphaba's scarf around her small frame even tighter.

She continues walking, the stark silence encasing her in a shell that seems unbreakable. Her only companion is the rustling of the dying leaves.

She enters the dining hall and makes her way to the back room, shoving past Pfanee and ShenShen rudely.

"Hey," Glinda says breathlessly as she removes her gloves, "I'm ready to discuss about to—!" Glinda's sentence is cut short when a bomb goes off.

"What was that?" Boq asked, his voice loud and fearful.

"A bomb—get down…under the table." Fiyero says, motioning for the group to duck down beneath the table.

Gunshots ring out from the fog along with the screams of terror from the University students. Fiyero looks out from behind a chair and sees the teachers ushering the students out of the dining hall. They take no notice of the missing four.

The hall clears and Fiyero ducks down behind the chair. He eases up slowly, and sees something truly shocking. A fleet of guards dressed in uniforms completely different from the Gale Force uniforms stand in the rubble. That's not the shocking part. The shocking part is that Morrible is standing amongst them, in her traditional over dressed garb.

Fiyero turns to his friends again and tells them what he saw.

"Change of plans…we leave now. Come on." Fiyero hisses as he pulls at Glinda and Boq.

"What? Already…Fiyero what happened? Who's out there?" Nessa asks, demanding an answer.

"I saw Morrible…Boq, can you lift Nessa from her chair. Quietly now, come on." Fiyero whispers, ushering Glinda out the back way.

He turns to look at Boq again and keeps an eye on Morrible and her team. Boq lifts Nessa from her chair silently but as he turns, Nessa's foot hits the wooden chair and it falls with a harsh _thump_. Fiyero sees Morrible look in their direction, a steely ambitious look in her grey eyes. He sees a smirk form on her lips and his heart begins racing. He rushes Boq and Nessa out before closing the door silently behind them. Once outside they make a mad dash for the dorms. They rush to Glinda's room, which is the closest, and slam the door shut, locking it. Boq places Nessa on her sister's bed before drawing the curtains shut.

Glinda's already cramming stuff into Elphaba's old valise: money, simple clothes, and the small essentials. She knows she has to pack lightly or else may the Unnamed God smile down on them.

"Where do we go to now? The only place that served as sanctuary was here and now that's ruined." Nessa says, her hope failing as she looks worriedly at Glinda, then Fiyero, then Boq, then back to Fiyero.

Fiyero's not looking at them, his back turned to them, as he stares into space, "I have another home in the Great Kells. Hardly anybody's ever there except for the servants and my family only uses it for the summer…it's hard to find and people are too intimidated by the route to get there. Morrible would never think of looking there." He says as he turns to face the small group.

They dash down the hallway, past Nessa's room.

"Hold up guys, I need to grab something. You go on ahead, I'll catch up with you in a few seconds." Glinda says, before veering off into Nessa's room.

She sees what she needs on the floor before scooping them up and placing them in her messenger's bag.

She rejoins the group thirty seconds later and they run.

The group of four escapes successfully, leaving the unsuspecting Morrible behind. They know it's a victory for their team but now is no time to celebrate. They run and run and run until they come to a small clearing near Dixxi House. Fiyero snags a map from one of the inhabitants there and returns to their campout.

"We're here at Dixxi House…the completely opposite direction that we need to go in. The only way to get to Kiamo Ko is through the Emerald City or follow the Gillikin River until we reach Kellswater…but that's by foot." He looks at the others, unsure of what would be best since Nessa is without her chair.

"I like the idea of going around the Emerald City but I can't carry Nessa for that long." Boq says, trying to keep from sounding whiney.

"No need to. I grabbed something from Nessa's room that may come in handy." Glinda says as she pulls Nessa's jeweled shoes from her messenger's bag.

Nessa lets out a gasp of surprise and takes them, removing her other shoes and placing the jeweled shoes on instead. Her happiness doesn't last very long.

"But how will this help? I still can't walk."

Glinda smiles faintly, the first in five days. "Magic, my dear Nessa. I'll magick them. I know Elphaba had a stronger point for it but if anything, I've learned a few tricks or so. Plus that magic class really paid off."

Glinda begins chanting a spell in an unknown language, motioning her hands in a way that reminds the others of an exotic dance almost. Nessa's shoes begin glowing red and start hissing slightly, a light smoke rising from the soles.

"M-my feet! They feel like they're on fire!" Nessa exclaims in shocked pain, staring from her shoes to Glinda to her shoes again.

A faint glowing light encircled Nessarose's feet as Glinda continued her chanting. Moments later the glowing ring disappears and Glinda's chanting stops. Nessarose's shoes are now a shimmering red.

Glinda raises herself from the ground and offers Nessa a hand. She looks up and hesitantly takes it, unsure of what the older girl is planning. Glinda helps Nessa up with some effort until she's standing.

Nessa lets out an excited gasp. It turns into a few short laughs of joy and Glinda smiles at the girls' happiness. Now with Nessa able to walk, being discovered isn't as easy as it once was.


	3. Prisoner

**a/n: the problem with my stories is that I never have the drive to finish them…but I'm willing to finish this one if I get happy reviews. Onto the real a/n…finally bringing Elphaba into the story[finally]. I was going to in the first chapter, like a switch between Elphaba's situation and Glinda's but I thought that would be too staggered and stupid to do. Sorry for the short, short chapter, y'all, but it's rather difficult to write as Elphaba in this stage of the story right now. So deal with the shortness and don't hate. **

Chapter three: Prisoner

She's huddled on the concrete bed, huddled atop the flimsy mattress and wrapped in the ragged blanket, all in an attempt to keep warm. If she doesn't die from blood loss then she'll die from hypothermia. It's cold and damp in the cell, the whole dungeon really. Her clothing is ruined from the numerous beatings she's received, tattered and bloody. Her hands are chained to the wall, and with barely enough leeway to lie down. The cold metal rubs against her skin continuously, some of it already chafing. There's a gruesome gash over her right eye that's still seeping blood. It's from three days ago.

A loud, eerily obnoxious creak erupts from the blackness and Elphaba jerks her head to look up. It's the guards coming for their daily beat up routine. She grits her teeth, awaiting the worst of the damage. Instead, she hears the guard speak.

"We're taking you to the Wizard." He says, and that's all he says, as he undoes the chain, pulling it through the loop on the wall.

Elphaba's wrists are still bound and attached to the long chain, like a leash. The guard pulls her from the cell and begins leading her down the twisting maze. Two other guards take the rear, their muskets aimed at her back.

"Why does he want to see me?" Elphaba asks but is roughly hit in the back with the tip of a gun.

"No questions."

Elphaba complies for fear of being shot down. The only sound accompanying their long walk is the sound of their footsteps against the cobble stone corridor.

It takes what seems like forever to reach the main door. The first guard grabs the handle and pulls on it. A phosphorescent emerald beams in from above and Elphaba shuts her eyes, feeling the burning tears slide down her face.

She's led up the stairs, stumbling once or twice. She's squinting now, letting her eyes adjust to the light. She was in darkness for too long. Her eyes open when she hears her enemy's voice speak to her.

"Good to see you again, Elphaba. I hope you've been doing well." The Wizard says, either ignoring the wounds on the green woman or just making a mockery of them.

"Only if you count multiple bruises, broken bones and a large gash 'doing well', then yeah, I'm doing just fine." Elphaba says, her witticism showing as usual.

She opens her mouth to say more but the butt of a rifle raps against her head, temporarily knocking her out, and she falls forward. She can feel blood pool at the base of her neck.

"Silence, Witch. You have lost the right to speak." The guard who hit her says gruffly, still pointing the rifle at her fallen form.

From her blurred vision, Elphaba sees the Wizard rise from his chair. "Nobody gave you orders to harm her. You do what I say and only act on orders, not on free will. Remove those chains immediately and clean that gash. I want her looking her best when she meets me later."

"Y-yes, Your Ozness. Right away." The guard says, sending his troops to fetch the medical team.

The Wizard is still glaring at the remaining guard. "Well, what are you waiting for? Leave her with me."

The guard stutters in protest a few times before rushing out of the room. With the guard gone, the Wizard slumps down in his chair, places two fingers against his temple and sighs audibly. He looks at the broken form of Elphaba and feels a twinge of remorse.

"Elphaba…I know how you must feel about this whole…situation, but I assure you that it does get better. Trust me." The Wizard says from his throne, watching Elphaba raise herself up on weak arms.

"You have no idea what I feel. You have no idea what this has caused me…" Elphaba growls, her dark hair falling over one shoulder, as she glares at the Wizard.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Elphaba. But you're here for a vital reason. You see, I have this dream—?" The Wizard stops speaking and looks at Elphaba, who has risen from the floor now.

Her blood splatters onto the emerald tile, causing a horrendously ugly clash of red and green.

"We all have dreams, Wizard. Some of them come true, others are crushed mercilessly. But I'm sure you wouldn't know about any of this, would you now?" Elphaba asks with a near feral look in her russet brown, flecked with mica eyes, her mouth pulled back in a snarl.

The Wizard ignores this dangerous look and continues with his story, "a dream of Oz. I came here with the intent of perfecting this place…oh, how wrong was I? I have this idea of a Civil War. The United States had one, why can't Oz?"

Elphaba's snarl has vanished and now her mouth hangs open in shock. Her eyes wide with rage. "Internal warfare…that's your solution? And for what, the good of all Oz? Just how do you expect to go about that?" She asks, walking up to the Wizards throne.

"That's highly confidential, Miss Elphaba." A cold voice says from somewhere behind her.

Elphaba's blood runs cold as she hears the newcomer speak.

She turns slowly, fear evident in her russet eyes. She sees that Morrible is back from wherever she went. She steps from the throne and backs from Morrible's advancing form slowly.

"My dear, you harbor magical talents that are unpredictable. They cause destruction…do you know what that means?" Morrible says as she walks towards Elphaba, a predatory smile plastered on her thin lips.

"No, I'm afraid I don't know what it means. I don't think I want to know either. Sorry, but whatever you're planning I refuse to be a part of." Elphaba says stubbornly.

Morrible's blocking Elphaba's escape and her predatory grin screams victory. Elphaba's demeanor may have been strong but all of it's an act.

"Oh, you can refuse all you want, Miss Elphaba, but you're already a part of our plan," Morrible sneers as she looks into Elphaba's terror frozen eyes, "Guards! Take her back to her cell. Leave her there until she's ready to cooperate.

Morrible steps away from her former green student as five guards shackle her and drag her away.

XXXXXXX

Elphaba's shoved onto the floor, her face scraping against the concrete flooring. She lies there unmoving and in pain. She hears the guards snigger before a sharp pain enters her chest. She cries out as her ribs fracture beneath the heavy weight of the guards boot.

She hears the door creak shut and echo as it slams. She remains motionless, her breathing shallow and her face bleeding. She pulls herself towards the concrete cot and manages to pull herself up. She rolls onto the flimsy mattress with great difficulty, pain shooting through her body with each movement.

Her mind feels numb from exhaustion and she lies in silence for what feels like hours. Silent tears fall down her face before she slips into sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elphaba doesn't get up but she doesn't remain asleep either. She simply lies there in agony. Her mind is groggy with sleep and her breathing comes in shallow breaths. The gash above her eye is still covered in dried blood and is starting to scar. She's been hostage for a week now and freedom is a lost dream. She opens her eyes to a still dark cell even though there are slivers of light streaming in from cracks in the wall. She wonders what happened to Glinda and if she's okay. She worries about Nessarose and her wellbeing and it hurts her heart to think of what she's going through. She wonders what the school has been reduced to.

She wonders if anyone cares that she's gone. A person just doesn't disappear from the face of the earth. She wonders how long this hellish nightmare will last.

Fighting won't help her and she knows that. Her chance to fight has long since ended and now she's nothing but a ragged prisoner. A war prisoner; the first of millions.

Locked up in this cell, Elphaba doesn't know anything about the outside world. She doesn't know how far Morrible's plan has gone.

She doesn't know what's to come. She knows that Oz is about to take an unexpected turn for the worse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Morrible sends her guards out in search for target points. The last of the guards leave and Morrible smirks to herself at her handiwork.

"This is going wonderfully, is it not, Your Ozness." Morrible says as she turns to look at the Wizard.

"Don't you think that we're taking this a little too far?" The Wizard asks as he walks from his Mechanical Oz-Head.

"This was your plan in the beginning, I simply put into action." Morrible retorts, her attitude worsening with each second.

The Wizard remains silent and returns to his Oz-Head. Morrible looks at the Wizard with a predatory glint in her eyes before leaving the throne room.

She retreats to her study to continue mapping out towns and villages. She'll begin in Munchkinland due to its poor defense system. Then she'll move her fleet towards the Glikkus and then Quadling Country where she'll take control of the Ruby mines. There was nothing in the west was of any interest to her so she'd leave that alone. Then there was Shiz where her little mind-slaves where. She'd have to reenter that to take control of it.

It's a brilliant plan; all she needs is the right kind of military. She needs some kind of secret weapon. She had originally vied for Elphaba but the girls' stubbornness would only ruin the overtaking of Oz. She needs someone who has magical abilities. Glinda certainly has magical capabilities, Morrible thinks, but I wonder, does Nessarose have them too?

Morrible turns to her file of students that had tabs on them and looked towards Nessarose Thropp.

**a/n: this chapter certifiably sucks. I'm sorry if the plot is becoming muddled but now with school starting and my intense fencing conditioning I don't think I'll be writing as often. I'll definitely still be writing though but I won't be posting as daily as I have been. R&R. **


End file.
